ArcGIS Desktop is software that allows you to discover patterns, relationships, and trends in your data that are not readily apparent in databases, spreadsheets, or statistical packages.

ArcGIS is a suite consisting of a group of geographic information system (GIS) software products produced by Esri.ArcGIS is a system that lets you easily author data, maps, globes, and models on the desktop and serve them out for use on a desktop, in a browser, or in the field via mobile devices, depending on the needs of your organization. If you are a developer, ArcGIS gives you tools for building your own applications.

ArcGIS 10 transforms the way people use GIS. Be more productive with your work and take advantage of GIS everywhere: via individual local desktops, across desktops and browsers leveraging central servers, and in the cloud.

"ArcGIS is a complete system that enables you to solve your most challenging issues," said Damian Spangrud, ArcGIS product manager. "This release provides greater ease of use, more powerful analysis tools, additional Web GIS applications, and new mobile platforms. It also promotes collaboration via an online system for using, sharing, and organizing geographic content."

Perform GIS Work Faster—ArcGIS 10 dramatically improves and simplifies the user experience, streamlines editing, and integrates productivity tools to support the workflows of GIS professionals. This release makes map creation and production much easier and provides best practice templates to help users get started quickly. Users can search by keywords or data types to find data and maps. They can also use the search function to quickly and easily find symbols to use in their maps and tools for analysis.

Powerful Spatial Analysis—ArcGIS has always been the premier software for spatial analysis, and with this release, Esri continues to advance geographic science with new tools. ArcGIS now includes Python scripting for automating common tasks and analyses. Using Python, the capabilities of ArcGIS can be combined with other scientific programming to create powerful solutions. Among the new analyses offered in ArcGIS is location-allocation, which helps users understand how their facilities' placements in a given network impact their ability to serve their customers.